by Alyx Grayson

Created on: March 17, 2009   Last Updated: March 18, 2009

When I was 10 years old, I spent the summer in England with my family. It was not my first trip to Great Britain nor would it be my last. It was my longest stay in the homeland of my parents. I am a first generation American and extremely proud of both the land of my blood and the land of my birth. Amusingly enough, July 4, 1982 dawned as every other day that summer seemed to dawn, cool with the promise of warm sunshine and perhaps a spot of rain around mid-day.

No Fireworks

I found out much to my dismay that no fireworks were planned for that evening. There would be no barbecue and no hamburgers grilled over the open flame. Cold soda would not be served over ice and ice cream cones would not be coveted in the blistering heat of the day. Bandstands would not be erected near the local malls and face painting, red, white and blue flags and other banner flying events would not take place. Why? Because in England, July 4th is just another day and while it holds deep significance in the American consciousness, that significance is not reflected overseas.

Why should it? After all, it was in defiance to the crown that the Declaration of Independence was signed in the first place. We remember July 4, 1776 as the day we declared our independence and as a day that the simmering embers that would become the American fires of independence burst into an inferno. Although it would be another fourteen years before the Revolutionary War would be over and a first President elected, that day is still the day we celebrate.

Remember the English

On that fateful day in 1982, I did celebrate the 4th of July in England as best I could. I lifted my cup of tea and saluted the crown. After all, one should be as gracious in victory as in defeat. My grandmother told me a story that year that I remember to this day. Birthdays are about the person celebrating it, not the person who gave birth to them or the idea that spawned their rebellion or even the crown and the Parliament that drove them to it. July 4th is America's birthday and Americans celebrate it no matter what part of the world they are in, it's not a day of shame for the English and it should not be. England is the Mother Country of many American ideals, statesmen and politics.

So the next time the 4th of July comes around, remember not only the founding fathers, but the Mother Country who gave painful birth to a nation we so independently celebrate every year.

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